DURHAM -- THE University of New Hampshire football team kept its October rocking with a win over Richmond and the men’s hockey team helped coach Dick Umile notch another major milestone while getting exactly the jump it wanted on the 2012-13 season

First, football.

The No.-12 ranked Wildcats improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association by holding off Richmond in Saturday afternoon’s Homecoming game at Cowell Stadium.

“It’s huge,” said junior running back Chris Setian. “Every win in the CAA is huge. Our little slogan this year for October has become Rocktober. We have three away games and we have to win going away, which is huge for us. If we can take care of business, at this point, the only people that can stop us are ourselves.”

UNH has won three straight and won its first road game in October a week ago against Georgia State.

The Wildcats travel to Maine next Saturday and to Rhode Island the week after that.

Maine played Towson tough but dropped a 24-19 decision on Saturday night and fell to 2-4 overall and 1-2 in the CAA. The Black Bears went on the road to beat Delaware, 26-3, on Oct. 6.

Rhode Island lost at home to previously winless Georgia State, 41-7, on Saturday and is now 0-6 and 0-3.

Coach Sean McDonnell and his staff shouldn’t have any problem keeping the team’s focus first on Maine and then URI.

The Wildcats lost the last time they played both teams on the road and the setbacks nearly sunk their 2010 season. UNH was 2-3 after the Maine loss and then rallied to get into the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs with a 7-4 record.

The Wildcat streak of NCAA appearances is now at eight and they have lined themselves up nicely to make it nine.

Three wins in the last four regular-season games and an 8-3 record should be plenty to get them into the tournament. Running the table and finishing at 9-2 will give them a good shot at getting a home game for the tournament. A 7-4 record makes things dicey.

So the Wildcats will take another big win and move on to Maine.

“This keeps us alive in what we want to do,” McDonnell said. “As good a win as it was, we’ve got, like I just told the kids in the locker room, 24 hours to enjoy it. But then we’ve got to go up to Maine and play a really good Maine team.”

UNH closes out the regular season with a pair of home games in November: against William & Mary on Nov. 3 and Towson on Nov. 17. The Wildcats are off on Nov. 10.

Now, hockey.

Umile collected win No. 500 of his career with Friday night’s 5-3 triumph over St. Cloud State and No. 501 with a 4-2 win that completed the weekend sweep on Saturday night.

The Friday win marked UNH’s first opening night win since the 2008-09 season.

“That felt great,” said Greg Burke, a senior forward from Lee. “But everyone wants to keep it going. You don’t want to feel any different. You don’t want to have to dig yourself out of a hole like you did last year.”

The Wildcats were 0-4-1 to start the season last year.

They kept it going on Saturday night and will try to extend their success into Hockey East play with their league opener at home against Boston University on Saturday night.

BU knocked off Providence, 4-2, in its opener on Saturday night.

Burke scored the first goal for UNH on Friday night and fellow senior John Henrion the first on Saturday.

Casey DeSmith, a sophomore goaltender from Rochester, won both games in net and had a .900 save percentage and 2.50 goals against average for the weekend.

Junior forward Dalton Speelman, senior forward Austin Block and sophomore defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk each had two goals in the series. Senior defenseman Connor Hardowa collected four assists.

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THE WOMEN’S hockey team is 2-0 overall and opens Hockey East play with a home game against Vermont on Tuesday night at 7.

Vermont is 1-4.

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THE field hockey team, 7-6 overall going into a game on Sunday at Boston College, is headed for an America East showdown with Boston University.

UNH and BU are both 3-0 in the league and play Friday night at 7 on Memorial Field in Durham.

Junior Hannah Richard of Hopkinton leads UNH in scoring with 11 goals and four assists.

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THE volleyball team is 12-10 overall and 4-2 in America East. The Wildcats had their seven-match unbeaten streak snapped at Albany on Friday and lost at Hartford on Saturday.

Albany leads the league with a 5-0 record and UNH and Binghamton are next at 4-2.

UNH plays at Providence on Saturday.

alessels@unionleader.com